With a win over Michigan State in the rearview mirror, Ryan Day and Ohio State have shifted focus to their next Big Ten challenge: a home game versus Iowa on Saturday.
Before the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes square off in the Shoe, the sixth-year head coach previewed the matchup in an appearance on The Ryan Day Radio Show with Paul Keels and Jim Lachey. Following Day's comments, Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer also answered a few questions from the radio hosts.
Here's all the need-to-know info from the latest episode of The Ryan Day Radio Show:
Ryan Day
On the atmosphere at Spartan Stadium
- "I thought the atmosphere was really, really good."
- "It was good for us."
- "Faced a little adversity, which is a good thing."
On Ohio State's fans traveling to East Lansing
- "Our goal was in the fourth quarter to hear the crowd. ... It's certainly something when you can hear the O-H-I-O in the fourth quarter."
- "To sing Carmen Ohio on the road was a great feeling."
- "It makes a great difference."
On where Ohio State can improve after Saturday
- Day said Ohio State came away from the game Saturday with a mentality that there is plenty to fix on offense, defense and special teams. "Coming out of Sunday, you would have thought we'd lost the game."
- "We got to identify these things and get them fixed."
On Devin Brown's touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith
- Day said he felt Will Howard could have returned to the game immediately after taking a shot at the end of the second quarter. However, Day said, "We trusted Devin to take a shot right there. He put it where only Jeremiah could catch it, and Jeremiah did the rest."
- Day said Brown "handled that situation well," especially considering the pressure Michigan State brought on that play. Day said TreVeyon Henderson did a great job in blitz pickup on that play.
On Ohio State's perimeter blocking
- "It's a big part of the run game."
- "If you want to be explosive in the run game, you have to be great at perimeter blocking."
- Day said Iowa will be a "big challenge" for the Ohio State offense, particularly because the Hawkeyes are hard to block on the perimeter.
- "There's an art to it. ... You got to use really good technique."
- "It's how you become a complete player at wideout."
On Ohio State's offensive line play against Michigan State
- Day said Ohio State's offensive line did a nice job protecting the quarterback on Saturday and handled a number of different Michigan State blitzes and rushes well.
- "There are a lot of things we gotta clean up."
- "A big part of it is mentality. You're seeing guys play hard."
On Caleb Downs
- "I could talk about Caleb for a long time."
- Day said Downs is "talented" but said Downs brings more to the table than just skill.
- "There's a toughness there; there's a physicality there. ... His preparation is very meticulous. ... He plays fast. He pulls his trigger. He's got a lot of ability."
On having a dual-threat quarterback
- Day said having a dual-threat quarterback puts "stress on the defense" and opens up the playbook in various ways.
- Day complimented Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles for his dual-threat ability. He said Will Howard can offer the same things Chiles offered the Spartans' offense last weekend. "It's great that Will's able to do that for us."
On Ohio State allowing just three sacks in four games
- "It's big. It's big."
- "As the competition increases, we know that's gonna be really important."
- "We've done a decent job there, but bigger challenges ahead."
On Henderson and the running backs in pass protection
- "The running backs have gotta be on their stuff."
- "A big part of that is knowing exactly where you're going."
- Day said communication between Seth McLaughlin and Howard has been great through four games. That has helped the offensive line and the running backs be on the same page in protection.
On what stands out about Iowa
- "Similar to what you see every time you play Iowa. A very well-coached, physical team that plays complementary football."
- Day mentioned the offensive line, tight ends and running backs stand out for Iowa's offense. On the other side of the ball, the defensive line, linebackers and safeties impress.
- "When you play against a style of team like this, more than ever, it's like the ultimate Big Ten game."
- Day said Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker has "got a really good plan" for each of the Hawkeyes' opponents.
- "They play really hard on special teams."
On winning the turnover battle against Iowa
- "This team is the epitome of winning the turnover battle and the field-position game."
- "Anytime you can do something like that, it's gonna make a huge difference in the game."
- After beating Michigan State in the turnover battle 3-1 last weekend, Day said Ohio State must continue to succeed in that area against Iowa and the team's future opponents.
On the environment at Ohio Stadium on Saturday
- "The louder we can be in the stadium when they have the ball is a huge advantage to us."
- Day said he would love to see Iowa change its cadence several times on Saturday and even move to a silent snap count.
- "If we can get really loud when they're under center with the ball, that would be a huge help."
On Iowa's desire to win the field-position game
- "They're gonna play the field position game."
- "They're trying to pin you inside the 5-yard line."
- "We got to win the battle of field position, play well on special teams and take care of the football."
On David Adolph
- "He had a really, really good play on one of the punt returns."
- "He did his job."
- Day said Adolph has contributed on special teams the past few seasons and has made strides in the past few weeks.
Jack Sawyer
On Ohio State's road win at Michigan State
- "We love going into opponents' stadiums."
- "Having a chance to silence a crowd like that is probably my favorite feeling in football."
On Ohio State's rotation on the defensive line
- "We're so talented in so many different positions, on the defensive line especially.
- "It's an advantage."
- "Coach Johnson has a great thing going with our rotation right now. It's gonna pay off down the road here later in the season."
On Ohio State's offensive tackles, going against them in practice
- "I think it helps a lot. I think (Josh) Fryar and Josh Simmons and even some of the guys behind them are some of the best tackles in college football."
- "They're doing a phenomenal job."
- "Iron sharpens iron, truly."
